Agata Znamirowska, Renata Stanisławczyk

EFFECT OF MATURING PROCESS ON CHANGES IN PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF COLT MEAT

Abstract The paper had the objective of determining the physicochemical parameters of colt meat during a five-day long cold storage, tantamount to its turnover period to, or time of its reaching, the western-European countries. Samples of the longest dorsal muscle from 29 colts 1.5-2 years old, from commercial breeding were investigated. Colt meat is characterized by high content of water and protein and low content of fat. That meat re-quires a longer period for ‘maturing’ and, with its value pH, indicates a potential for stor-age in cold condition for at least five days. Moreover, a five day maturing of colt meat in cold storage raises its water holding capacity, usability for processing and improves meat tenderness, as well as causes a dramatic darkening of meat color.